The Minnesota Lynx are licking their wounds after getting eliminated by the New York Liberty in the first round of the playoffs. The Liberty crushed the Lynx, 87-71, in Game 2 at Barclays Center on Tuesday.

Minnesota could not get anything going against New York, with Napheesa Collier, Olivia Miles, and Kayle McBride all firing blanks. They combined for 11-of-35 shooting.

The Lynx lost to the Liberty by 16 points in back-to-back games.

For the second straight year, the Lynx dominated the regular season. Still, they could not get the job done in the playoffs. Last season, they tallied the most wins in franchise history, yet they fell short in the semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury.

Collier admitted that they need to learn how to get over the hump.

“That's something that obviously we have to figure out. We played really well in the regular season, but, I mean, the game is hard. Any team could win a championship this year. The parity in the game and the playoffs is on another level,” said Collier in a video shared by basketball reporter Khristina Williams.

Also asked the players the same question⬇️ https://t.co/CI8rFa1n6q pic.twitter.com/UfdlK7VqB9

— Khristina (@Khristina) September 30, 2026

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The star forward finished with 14 points on 14 attempts. She added seven rebounds.

McBride had 14 points on 13 attempts, while Miles was limited to a season-low five points on 1-of-8 shooting. Natasha Howard only had two points.

Courtney Williams carried the fight for the Lynx with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

With another frustrating exit, the future becomes more uncertain for Collier, who only agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Lynx in the offseason.

In the meantime, she will have to chew on their bitter loss to the Liberty, knowing that they blew another chance to reclaim the title they have not won since 2017.